Bexhill residents told to fund road repairs themselves

Last year residents of Bancroft Road, off Woodsgate Park, submitted a petition calling on East Sussex County Council to adopt their street so that the road and the pavements could be repaired.

However the lead member for transport and environment is due to turn down their request at a meeting on Monday (July 18).

Officers have recommended that the lead member advise petitioners that Bancroft Road cannot be adopted at public expense due to its condition, funding for these works are not seen by the council as a priority, but the highways team would work with residents to help them investigate ways of achieving funding to repair the road surface.

According to the officers’ report the section of Bancroft Road in question is 115 metres long, is the main walking route to access the King Offa Primary school, as well as the walking route between Sidley and Bexhill town centre.

The company which owned the land when the houses were built in the 1960s is no longer in existence, so the land would have passed to the Crown as ‘Bona Vacantia’.

Since the road is unadopted the county council as the highways authority does not have any responsibility to maintain it, unless its condition ‘poses a danger to the public’.

Site investigations showed that both footways and the verges would need to be completely reconstructed, sections of the carriageway would also need work, while several kerbs would also need to be replaced.

The report added: “In this case Bancroft Road acts as a through route for local traffic and forms a key local link for pedestrians to and from the town centre.

“It is also used by school children/parents coming to and from the nearby King Offa Primary School and provides the sole means of vehicular and pedestrian access to 30 dwellings.

“Taking this into account it is considered that there is sufficient public benefit to adopt this road.”

However it would cost £45,000 to bring the road up to an adoptable standard and it is ‘not considered a priority for the council’.

The report continues: “However, should the frontagers wish to organise and fund the works themselves the county council will facilitate the adoption.”

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